Disappear
by Shadimee
Summary: Haunted by visions of another life, Zoro believes that he is losing his mind. Who, or rather what, is this strange girl whose life is inexplicably intertwined with his?
1. Chapter 1

**Disappear**

**Chapter 1.**

Although I wasn't drunk, nowhere near it after only ten tankards of booze, I felt unusually sleepy. Normally in a situation like this, I would sit on the sidelines until the urge to sleep drowned out all the noise of the party. But tonight there was a heavy sensation in my chest and I went to bed early, despite the annoyingly loud protests of the idiot trio and the insults of the stupid cook.

However, to my frustration, I found myself unable to sleep. While the men's chambers were relatively quiet, especially in comparison to the deck where the rest of the crew were still celebrating our arrival into the New World, my eyes remain wide open.

In the darkness I lay in my hammock, hoping that the sea would gently rock me to sleep as it did on calm nights like this one. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Just as I was on the verge of slumber, the calm sway of the hammock stopped suddenly and the room started to quiver and tremble.

I jolted upwards, suspecting an approaching storm and listened intently for the sound of Nami's voice shouting orders at the crew. But it never came. Instead I was greeted by cold droplets of water that fell thickly onto my face.

"What the—rain?" I said aloud, in surprise. "How can it rain?" My voice was surprisingly quiet, as if I hadn't used it in a long time. Still dazed, I rubbed my face and indeed it was rain water in my hand. Except it wasn't my hand. It was a long, thin slender hand; the hand of a woman. I looked down to see my legs folded on an ice cold cement floor and my white dress soaked into the ground by the rain.

I wondered then if I was perhaps still asleep in my bed, and this scene was a strange vision conjured up by my tired brain and ten tankards of booze. In front of me was a high stone statue, carved into the shape of a weeping angel. I soon realized that I was in the body of a girl who was placing flowers at its feet.

It was a memorial stone.

Eventually I stood up and made my way down the stone steps slowly and carefully. My feet were cold as if I was walking barefoot, and the rain had soaked deep into my skin and had frozen my bones. The wind howled through hollow trees and a heavy sensation returned in my heart, as if I was apprehensive of something. My legs began to pick up a desperate pace. I couldn't see much of anything, but the need to run, to escape was getting stronger with each step.

There were voices now, calling me, coming closer…until…until…until…

I woke up in my room.

This time it was my room. It was still dark and the room was still empty. I hadn't been asleep for a long time. Yet, I couldn't shake the dreadful feeling. There was a knock and the door swung open to reveal the scowling face of the cook.

"Is there a problem, sleeping beauty?" he said.

I look down at my hands and one last time around the room. Everything was back to normal. "No. Piss off." I replied with equal politeness.

"Then keep it down." The cook said angrily. "If you can't handle your damn drink, I'll be sure to give you water next time."

"Can't handle my drink?" I said with increasing irritation. I got up and pulled out one of my swords and stepped forward but for some reason I lacked my usual fighting spirit. The stupid cook must have noticed because he stared at me strangely for a few moments, then walked out of the room calling out "Go get some sleep and keep your mouth shut while you do it" over his shoulder.

I went back to my hammock but I did not fall back to sleep, even when the others had come in one by one in a drunken stupor after the party. When the first light of dawn came through the cabin window I dressed myself and went out onto the deck. The grass lawn on the Sunny's main deck was damp with morning dew. Water droplets gathered on the tips and glistened as they dropped, like the wet flower petals on the memorial stone.

I shook my head, trying in vain to erase the dream from my head, but it was useless. I could remember every single detail as if I had been physically present. I must have been more tired than I originally thought, dreaming so deeply and vividly of something non-existent. Maybe I really was turning into a fantasist like Nami said.

I needed to get my mind off things. The light from the crow's nest was still on. Whoever was on night watch would have to put up with my company for a while; I had weights to lift and things to forget.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disappear.**

**Chapter 2.  
**

Still slightly unnerved and unbalanced, I made my way up the crow's nest slowly and carefully. Although my heart had regained its natural rhythm, not like that fearful pounding from earlier, I found myself gripping the ropes tighter than usual.

A few weights would do me some good, I thought as I consciously loosened my hold on the ropes. I knocked on the entrance door a few times to warn whoever was inside of my presence and stepped through quickly. As I entered I saw Brook flinch violently, spilling his tea all over the tile floor. I couldn't tell with just a glance whether he had been asleep or not (no eyelids of course) but his reaction spoke more than words.

"Sorry for waking you up." I said as I made my way to the weight rack across the room. "But then again, you're lucky it was me and not Nami."

"Oh, Zoro-san!" Brook said in his typically loud, surprised voice. "I did not expect to see you here so early. Last I remember, you were tanked out on the deck. What a fast metabolism you must have, I dare say it's faster than my bones!" As if on cue he released a flurry of gas from all exits, laughing like a mad man. I resisted the urge to hurl my hand weights at his head.

"Well I just don't drink myself senseless, like you guys." I said, covering my nose and mouth with my spare hand. "I think you still need a rest. I'll talk to you when you are sober."

He laughed again, this time with a tiny bit more restraint. "Don't worry about me, I am very much sober. On my old ship we would party from morning to night and sometimes the next morning too! They were good times!"

Brook laughed cheerfully then went quiet for a moment, as if he were reminiscing about the times he passed with his old crew mates. According to his account, it had been over fifty years since he had last been with them. Perhaps the memories were flooding back to him. I wondered how much he could remember. Fifty years is a long time; would the memories have faded or would they be as vivid as the day they were made.

I didn't think it was my place to ask.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that." I said instead, "You still sound pretty drunk to me. I went to bed early, I wasn't tanked out on the deck."

He seemed to regain his composure at my words. "I assure you that you were. Did you not remember Luffy taking you to your room?"

"No." I said with confusion. Surely I went by myself, I would have remembered otherwise.

"Ah, maybe that's because he dropped you on your head a few times. We were all so drunk, yohohoho." Brook said, but stopped his laughing when I turned sharply to face him.

"He dropped me on the head?" I asked.

"Quite a few times. Do you not feel a headache?"

"No, but…" But maybe it could explain the strange dream I had. Maybe that idiot Luffy had given me a concussion and made me hallucinate. That would explain everything.

"…but?" said Brook. I didn't answer. "...Are you sure you are ok, Zoro-san? You seem very out of it and it is highly unusual to see you wake up before midday. Perhaps you would like me to call for some medical assistance."

I shook my head and declined. Now that I knew what the problem was, all I had to do was to wait it out until my head was back to normal. Then I could make up the hours I lost in sleep last night until the next morning. I shelved the weights and went down to the kitchen with Brook. If I could eat my fill of food, I wouldn't even need to wake up until tomorrow.

The kitchen was empty, bar the cook preparing breakfast. Luffy was still asleep, all the better.

"Hey cook," I called, loud enough for him to be unable to ignore. "I'm gonna go back to sleep so make sure to fill up my plate."

I didn't want to elaborate any further because I had anticipated what was going to come next.

"What's the matter princess, didn't get enough beauty sleep?" the cook said with his usual smoke-choked voice. "Or are you going to be like Cinderella, and sleep happily ever after. Because I can help you with that," he lifted his left foot and waved it in my direction.

"Actually that's Ariel." said Nami as she and Robin entered the room, fresh-faced and sober, without a hint of the post-drinking disorder that seemed to affect the brains of every other crew mate in the mornings. "She's also a red-haired princess with lots of riches…sounds romantic."

I scoffed under my breath but I was relieved that Nami's delusions had drawn the cook's attention away from me. He was fawning over her so much that he didn't seem to realize that he was overfilling my plate, not that I was complaining.

I listened to the ramblings of the others half attentively as I tried to stuff as much food down my throat as I could, before the meat monster of a captain could wake up to the smell of freshly cooked bacon.

"I'm not much for fairy tales," said Robin, "but I'm pretty sure her name was Aurora. The sleeping princess awoken by the kiss of a prince."

"Ah yes that's right. With all that gold. Lots and lots of gold." Nami went on. "But why are we talking about princesses again?" She said in a confused voice that suggest to me that the alcohol had not completely dissipated from her system.

The cook seemed to suddenly remember my presence. "Ah, well that was because Sleeping Beauty here hasn't had enough sleep and wants more food so he can go back to his world of dreams."

Suddenly all eyes were on me. I felt like swallowing the contents in my mouth and marching out of the room, with or without breakfast.

"Well I'm not surprised, Luffy did drop you pretty badly." Nami said almost pityingly. "Don't think I'd be able to sleep after that."

"Perhaps we should call up Chopper," suggested Robin. Brook seconded her opinion, explaining how I had already rejected his offer. But I declined, again.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Are you sure?" said Robin.

"I'm fine." I said once more, but this time it wasn't the sound of my voice at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disappear.**

**Chapter 3.**

"_I'm fine." I said once more, but this time it wasn't the sound of my voice at all._

I blinked frantically, trying to make sense of the sudden change in surroundings. I was in a dark, dungeon-like room. Not the Thousand Sunny. Not even the Sunny on a bad day. Where the hell was I?

"Oh you're awake huh." I turned, craning my neck against grating chains to do so, to see a uniformed man standing over me cockily. "Thought I'd have to lash you some more. But you're fine, you say?"

The man walked up to me and grabbed my face between his plump, dirty fingers. "Listen here, girl. Don't get cheeky with me." He squeezed my cheeks until saliva flowed from the side of my mouth.

"I don't know why you like making things difficult for yourself, but I suggest—"

"—you suggest what, Maser?"

The man let go of my face instantly. My jaw was sore and I suspected his hand would leave finger prints on whoever's face this was. A second man entered the room, standing near the door way that blinded me with its bright light. The uniformed man saluted and dismissed himself from the room. The second man came closer, leaning in, and like the man before him made a grab for my face. Except this time it didn't hurt. He pulled my face up, as if appraising me like a vase, then sighed.

"Why do you make me do this?" He said. "I don't like to see you like this. Don't you think it would be for the best, if you just accept your role?"

I stared at him blankly. What role? Who the hell are you? Where the hell am I? Those were the real pressing questions. But my heart sped up as if my body was telling my mind to shut up and not say anything that would bring it more pain. And so I leaned back and took a deep breath.

"I don't know." I said. That was the only appropriate response I could think up.

"You don't know what, my dear?"

"I. Don't. Know." I repeated, only this time he didn't seem to take it so well.

"Nonsense! You do know! _This_ is your home now. Your duty is to me. Your hometown, your people, they are nothing to you now. Why do you insist on making things hard for yourself and everyone else?"

He sighed and let me go.

"I will leave you in here for tonight as punishment for sneaking out. Tomorrow I will move you back to your room and we'll put this little episode behind us. Next time please think wisely as to where your loyalties lie. Nothing will change for you, if you continue to behave like this."

He left closing the door behind him, flooding the room in black. My chest heaved violently; it was hard for me to breathe. The sensation was familiar. The same as the night before. My head nodded back and forth as I drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness. Aside from the throbbing pain in my jaw I felt a single, cool tear drift down the side of my cheek…

"Ah, you're wake!"

I heard another voice say. It was like Deja-vu. Except this voice was familiar as was the face that was leaning over me.

"Not close, Luffy." I said and propped myself up awkwardly on a strangely soft mattress. "Huh? This isn't my hammock…"

"Nice observation skills there, Marimo." Said the cook, though it didn't sound as sarcastic as usual.

I looked around the room. It was familiar. Lined with glass vials and books and charts. It was Chopper's medical room. A place I seemed to check in and out of too often on our travels, but not somewhere I expected to wake up in. We hadn't been involved in any battles as far as I remembered.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked Chopper, who was in the middle of preparing some sort of medicine.

"You fainted in the kitchen." He replied. "I ran some tests, but it all came clear. So I'm not sure what happened. But you did hit you head on the floor pretty hard, so I prepared some painkillers for you."

The mention of pain brought back memories of a dull pain in my jaw and a searing pain in my head. I took the medicine with no arguments.

"Today is just not a good day for that head of yours, is it?" Nami said coming up behind me. I hadn't even noticed her, or the others sitting around on the floor looking at me concernedly.

"What happened?" Robin asked. "You were saying that you were fine, then you just passed out."

I held my head in my hands. Not from the pain but from the embarrassment. Fainting in the middle of the kitchen for no reason. Then to top it off receiving all these glances of worry and pity. How pathetic.

"I don't know." I said and I suddenly remembered that strange dream I had. It felt real; too real. But it couldn't be. "I really don't know."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disappear.**

**Chapter 4.**

A week had passed before I could sleep peacefully again.

Although I didn't experience that surreal sensation again, it felt as though my mind was remembering what my body wasn't. Sometimes I felt as though my arms were shackled, or my jaw was bleeding. But when I checked my reflection in the mirror or on the waves of the sea while I swam, there would be nothing.

They didn't say anything, I could tell they were watching me. Since that day I had fainted in the kitchen, the crew seemed to take it in turns to keep an eye on me. It was starting to grate on my nerves.

Even that cook started to leave larger portions of food on the table for me. His pity was the last thing I would ever want.

"Hey, Zoro?" I heard a voice call me. It was the third time someone had called me since the break of dawn.

"What do you want?" I said, in between yawns. Whoever it was had woken me up. Again.

"I just wanted to check if you're feeling better." As the voice came closer, I realised it was Chopper. He poked his head through the door and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Sanji said you were wake."

"He would say that, wouldn't he?" I replied, irritated. So much for his pity. "I'm feeling fine. Best sleep I've had all week, in fact!"

"That's good to hear." He said. "I was worried. The tests are still inconclusive, so I would like you to take it easy for a while, Zoro."

"Yes, doctor. Whatever you say."

Chopper smiled and danced happily before I shut the door in his face. I slid back into the sofa of the crow's nest and placed a pillow over my face to dim the overly bright morning light. Strangely, the crow's nest was the only place I could sleep properly.

It was as if my body felt comfortable sleeping somewhere high in the air. Then, another vision flashed again in my mind. A statue of a weeping angel and the flowers left at its feet. The vision was fleeting, but enough to disturb my sleep again.

I lay back, eyes wide open. What the hell was going on? Was I going crazy? I wasn't going to wait long enough to find out.

Sensei's words, the echo of his advice came to me as it always did in uneasy times. _When your mind is clouded and your judgement it impaired, take a moment to empty your mind of all worldly things._

I folded my arms and legs, and emptied my mind as sensei instructed.

It didn't overcome me in a sudden motion as it had done previously. This time, my mind gradually slipped out of my reality into hers.

I didn't even have to open my eyes to know that I wasn't in my body anymore. The breaths I took weren't as deep as they would be with my own lungs. I took a few shallow breaths and opened my eyes.

It was bright. The same sun that had been beaming down on me on the sunny was shining through an open window with ferocity. I brought up a small hand to cover my eyes from the glare.

I noticed, as I completed the action, that my—no her hands were no longer bound. They were a deep, russet colour where the shackles had been, which contrasted the paleness of the rest of my arm. Her arm. Our arm.

We walked towards the mirror, our steps shaky and unsure, and we stared at the reflection. What the girl saw, was her own face, bruised and battered by her ordeal.

I knew, I felt, her sorrow seeping through her mind into mine.

What I saw was a broken girl, not much older or younger than myself, whose eyes seemed to have seen the world and beyond. The eyes of someone who had seen too much. Her pale skin, her dark hair, her long thin frame, were all just background pieces to her eyes.

The makeup brush in our hand dropped, we gasp. She brought a shaking hand up to her face, over her eyes.

"What's going on?" Our mouth voiced, but it was her words alone. Her words aimed at me. "Who, w—what, is this? Who are you inside my head…"

"I was wondering the same about you." The voice said in return. The thoughts were mine. "Why do you keep waking me up at night?"

"I don't know what you are talking about!" she shouted hysterically. "Get out! Get out! Get out of my head, haven't you all done enough?"

A man came running into the room suddenly, when the girl started to shout. I recognised him as the man from the dungeon. He took us into his arms, despite her protests. If I hadn't seen him before, taunting her in the dungeon, I would have thought he was genuinely worried.

"What is the matter, sweetheart?" He said almost gently. "I heard you shouting, and I—"

"What did you do to me?"

He looked into her eyes, as I had in the mirror, and shook his head, "I don't understand. I thought we had agreed to put this all behind us. What more would I do to you, my dearest Esther?"

She shook her head disbelievingly.

She was convinced that he had something to do with this …mindshare we had. But before I could find an answer, my mind started to slip back into my own body, leaving behind the mysterious girl and the answers to my questions.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disappear.**

**Chapter 5.**

"Oi, do you need to go back to Chopper's table or something?" It was the cook. "Get the hell up, its time for dinner."

Thankfully, during that mind travel or whatever it was, I didn't lose control of my body completely. From the outside, I was still seated in the same meditative position that I had been earlier. So it was impossible for him to know what had happened, saving me a long explanation and drawn out visit to Chopper's room.

"Yes, I heard you _Cook_. I'll come when I'm ready."

He scoffed and puffed at his cigarette angry but didn't push any further. I wasn't in the mood to fight anyway. I took a moment to reflect on my thoughts before going to join them in the kitchen. This girl, Esther, that man had called her, didn't know what was going on either.

The only thing both of us knew was that whatever this was between wasn't a dream and was definitely going to be an issue, one way or another.

Everyone stared at me again when I finally decided to go down. They were probably worried because I had taken so long to come down. Even Luffy, who was usually the first one with his hand in the air demanding food, sat there with unmoving eyes, albeit with a seagull's leg in his hand, but quiet nonetheless.

"Why are you all staring at me?" I said once it became clear that scowling at them wasn't working.

I immediately regretted asking.

They burst into a tirade of lectures, mostly from Chopper, Usopp and Nami. I tried to eat as quickly as possible, nodding and grunting whenever possible to let them know I was listening to their endless advice and suggestions. It was easier than actually having to explain myself. Once I had taken the final bite of fish left on the plate, Luffy decided to intervene.

"Hey, Zoro." He said. His voice was so calm and mellow that everyone immediately fell silent to listen to what he had to say. Even I hesitated to leave. Strangely, Luffy had that effect on people sometimes.

"You've been acting really weird lately. What's up with you?"

It was a typically Luffy-like statement. Straight forward, pointing out the absolute obvious, but surprisingly piercing all the same. Unlike the others, it wasn't a statement I could just ignore.

"I know." I replied. Their faces all dropped as if they were shocked that I would so readily reveal a moment of weakness. But I didn't care because it was just that; a moment of weakness that I would no longer succumb to. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

It was, of course, easier said than done. As most things in life are.

The broken gaze of her reflected eyes haunted my mind that night. Crept into every empty crevice in my mind until I could no longer see or think of anything but her. Nothing but her. I didn't even know who she was.

I sighed. It was going to be another long night.

I stepped onto the deck. It was calm and dark, lit only dimly by the waning moonlight. Everyone had gone to bed early, it seemed. Except the person up in the library on watch. One guess who that could be.

Then it struck me. Who else could possibly have even the slightest idea of what was bothering me other than her. And she was a quiet one to boot. I wouldn't even have to ask her to keep it to herself.

Half reluctantly, I knocked on the door. It opened with a rain of petals. At the edge of the table, Robin sat beside a towering pile of books. She smiled when I came in and pulled out the chair on the opposite end of the table with her extra pair of hands.

"What brings you here so late at night?" She asked, setting the book she was reading aside in order to fully study me.

"There's something I want to talk to you about…"

I take a moment to think where I should even begin. It was a strange enough thing to talk about without having to worry about wording it properly.

"I've been having these weird dreams lately. I don't know what to do. I can't even sleep now."

"Weird dreams?" She asked, suddenly curious, "Hmm…are they about someone in particular?"

"Yeah, actually they are. What should I do?"

She looked me in the eye and smiled. "What do you want to do?"

"What do you mean? That's why I came here to ask you."

She nodded her head slowly. I could see her intertwining her fingers together as if she were hatching some kind of plan. "Is this why you've been acting so unlike yourself lately?"

"Y-yeah, I guess so. Argh this is so annoying. I just want to be able to sleep in peace without thinking of _her_."

"Maybe you should talk to her. Explain to her what you are feeling, especially since this is causing you so much distress. I'm sure she will understand."

"How can I do that? She doesn't seem to get what's going on either. I mean, judging from what I saw, it looks like she's having a pretty hard time herself without me interfering. I don't even know what I'm going to do if I do see her again."

I ran my hand over my face, resting my forehead in on my palms. The lack of sleep was starting to get to me again. As if I was flowing to and fro from consciousness. I needed to sort this all out as soon as I could.

"…This is driving me insane." I grumbled to Robin, who for some reason, just didn't stop smiling. "What are you smiling about?"

"I never would have imagined that someone like you could be_ so_… It's very sweet."

"Huh?" What was this woman talking about?

"Your feelings are perfectly natural, Zoro. Everyone experiences them at least once in their lives. I know sometimes it can feel as though you are going to be driven insane by the intensity of your emotions, but that feeling will pass with time."

As Robin spoke, the lingering ache in my head began to recede. Maybe Robin was right. Maybe these dreams or visions were indirectly effected by my emotions. My mind was still hazy, so I could not focus on what particular emotion I was feeling at the moment, but this only proved to me that I needed more training; my mind was not strong enough.

With this new realisation, I thanked Robin for her time and made my way back to the bunks, hoping I there was enough time for me to catch at least a few hours' worth of sleep before dawn.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disappear**

**Chapter 6.**

It was a dreamless sleep. I woke up by what I guessed to be noon (judging by the sun's position in the sky) feeling a lightness that I had missed in these long days. Yawning, I glanced around the room; empty bunks, not a soul to be seen. Even on the deck it was eerily quiet, if it hadn't been for the hotpot and plate on the kitchen table, I would have been suspicious.

_Gone to the island exploring, watch the ship,_ said a folded white note tucked under the plate. At least they had the decency to leave me with breakfast.

Without the others interrupting me again, I ate in record time and worked in the gym until my biceps ached under the strain of my weights. The sky had turned orange by the time the others returned, but by then I had, surprisingly, grown tired of my isolation.

"What did you guys see?" I asked when we had settled into our usual dinner routine. Their faces dropped, as if astonished that I cared enough to ask. Inwardly, I snorted; I'm not that self-centred, idiots.

"We just went to the town centre, it's not too far from here," Robin said casually, sipping her cup of coffee. "You should come next time." It was like we never had that conversation, thank goodness. I made the right choice in speaking to her, she won't give anything away.

"Yeah! There was this super cool horse riding place!" Luffy interjected, "We're going on it tomorrow, right Nami?"

"No, it's a race track not a stable," said Usopp, though he too looked like he wanted to take those horses out for a ride.

Luffy shrugged. "What's the difference?"

"You bet on the horses, you don't ride them," said Nami, "Of course, if you give me your share of the money, I'm sure I can arrange something for you using the winnings." She had that devilish smile on her face, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Nothing was out of the ordinary today. I had even made it to the end of dinner without Chopper offering me a check-up or ten.

So then, it caught me off guard when someone left a note on my bed asking to meet in the crow's nest at midnight. I waited in uneasy silence until all the guys fell asleep. Crumpling the note and tossing it overboard, I climbed the ladder, mentally preparing myself for an uncomfortable talk of some sort. Surely, Robin was the one to leave that note.

And I was right; she did leave the note. But she wasn't the one waiting for me up in the crow's nest, Nami was. By the way she jumped, startled by my sudden appearance, I knew she wasn't expecting me.

"What are you doing up, Zoro?" She said, putting her book down. I didn't know what to answer. What was Robin up to? I could never figure that woman out.

"Erm, I…couldn't sleep," I said, supressing a yawn. _I couldn't sleep because of that damn note,_ I wanted to add, but I thought it would be better to just play it cool, see what that woman was planning.

"Do you feel sick again?"

Damn it. Someone had to bring it up again. "No. I'm fine."

After staring for a few moments too long, she went back to her book while I went to kill some time on the weights. It would be too suspicious to leave immediately, I would have to explain my behaviour again in the morning if I did. A few reps using the dumbbells wouldn't be out of place for me. Pretend I just came for that and nothing more. Then, once an hour had passed, I could yawn and say 'Ah I think that's enough for one night…' and that would be the end of it.

I picked up the lightest weight, only a hundred kilos, not feeling to exert myself more than necessary. However, each time I turned, my back could feel a pair of eyes set on it. "What?" I asked, after ten minutes of feeling her gaze bore on me.

"Aren't those a little light for you?" She said, pointing at the dumbbells in my hand.

I shrugged, "So?"

"So..." She parroted, offended. "Why don't you use the heavier weights? Unless there really is something wrong."

"No, there isn't."

I took this as a signal to leave. I would answer any question they would ask me tomorrow, it was preferable to having to duke it out in an argument with Nami which, judging by the disbelieving scowl on her face, was imminent.

"Why are you always like this, why don't you talk to us? We want to help you, Zoro." Nami slammed her book down. The time for fight or flight had arrived.

"Help me with what? There's nothing wrong." _Fight it is, I guess..._

"Well for starters, I know you haven't been sleeping at night." She pointed an accusatory finger at me, "Look at those bags under your eyes, you're about two lines short of a grandpa!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, my face is always like this," I replied, annoyed, "How would you know whether I sleep or not?"

Then the answer struck me. They must have been talking about me when they went off to town. That stupid cook must have been the one to tell them, or maybe Brook. They were the lightest sleepersin the crew, no one else would have noticed but them.

"Look, I know you're not the best of talkers," She said (_understatement_, I thought), "But could you at least _try_ to let us know what's going on in that stupid, green head of yours?"

"No." I replied firmly; one intruder in my mind was more than enough. "Let it go, Nami. I've told you guys all I could, now leave me alone."

"But—"

"Stop it, Eliza! I don't want to talk about this anymore." I said.

My hands flew up too late to stop my mouth.

"What did you call me?" Nami said in confusion.

I stared at her; neither of us knew how to respond. In an untimely manner, my unwanted guest had decided to drop in. Only this time it was my body playing host.

"What's going on?" My mouth said, again I failed to stop it in time. A shaking hand covered my mouth. It was not easy for me to control my own body when it was in someone else's possession. It functioned as though it was a puppet, relying on conscious thought for even simple movements. Except my mouth unfortunately, which that girl used at her leisure.

"Who's Eliza?" Nami asked, oblivious to the sudden change in circumstances, but not so oblivious to my-her distress.

"Eliza! Eliza!" she called out in my voice, panicked. "Where did she go? Where did she go? Who are you?"

"Hey, Zoro, calm down. What's gotten into you?" Nami said. Uh oh, big mistake. Nami approached the 'me' she thought she knew, and ended up on the receiving end of a blow I could not stop.

"Don't touch me!" said my voice, angry and fearful. "Stay away from me…" She brought my hands to my head, squeezing it in a painful grip. "It's you again, isn't it?" She was speaking to me this time.

But I didn't care.

Burning anger raised up inside of me. She had hit my crewmate with the force of my strength; Nami was struggling to stand on her feet. "What do you think you're doing, you bitch!" I yelled internally at her, but my voice came back to my body at the worst possible moment.

On the floor, Nami flinched away from me, blackening eyes open wide in fear. In horror, I realised she thought I was shouting at her. But before I could explain myself to her the lights on the deck suddenly flashed on, some of the crew had gathered because of the commotion.

* * *

**Quick note:** Thank you cowgirl, rebecca taylor, the mysterious 'guest' and serinity750 for your reviews. I really appreciate you taking the time to write something. Also, thank you to those who have liked/followed this story, I know its not consistantly updated, but it really encourages me to update it when I know readers are looking forward to it. ^^


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